Why It Feels As If You See Pregnant Women Everywhere Once You're Pregnant Explained

Don't worry, you're not going crazy. There are a number of reasons why it feels as if you see pregnant women everywhere once you conceive.

Most of us have likely experienced that feeling where we buy a new car and all of a sudden, we seem to see that car absolutely everywhere. We might have even picked it out thinking that it was pretty unique and a car we haven't seen around much before, then all of a sudden everyone has it.

That feeling is not exclusive to buying a new car. You might have also experienced it if and when you discovered you were pregnant. Even at the point where your baby-to-be was too small to reveal itself as a bump, you started to see other pregnant moms everywhere you went. It turns out this phenomenon has a name, the frequency illusion, or the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon.

Psychology professor Nicholas Rule explained to Today's Parent that when something is on your mind, you are unconsciously looking for it. If you've got a baby on the way, chances are that it is almost constantly on your mind. That means behind the scenes, your brain will notice absolutely everything baby related. Therefore, every pregnant woman in the vicinity becomes extremely apparent to you.

Other than the frequency illusion, there are other more obvious reasons why you will start to see other expectant moms once you become pregnant. For starters, you'll likely be visiting the same places in preparation for the baby's arrival. New parents will also start to gather in similar neighborhoods. Anywhere with nice parks and good schools is going to attract new moms and dads, so more pregnant women will probably be living in your child-friendly neighborhood.

So there you have it. You are not going crazy. There is science to back up why you see pregnant women everywhere if you're pregnant, or why you see Fiat 500s driving around once you have bought one. Your brain is simply always thinking about those things, whether you realize it or not. That's also why once your baby reaches a certain age, you might well stop noticing fellow moms, especially pregnant ones.